James Lewis discusses whether the traditional PhD thesis is the best way for assessing PhD students, and what a good alternative might be.

Contributor James Lewis

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Writing up several years of research into a thesis is one of the most challenging hurdles in the long process of getting a PhD. I began writing up in April 2015 and I find myself frequently wondering whether such a mentally taxing task is the best way to examine students before sending them off into the wider world. At the end of July I published a two question poll on my personal blog designed to find out the opinions of others in academia. Over the course of 12 days, 111 people responded. The full results for the poll can be found directly here.

I encouraged people to comment and give their thoughts and suggestions. It is widely accepted that a thesis is the best form of assessment for the humanities so here I focus on whether it’s compatible with the sciences, where research is primarily shared through peer reviewed journal articles.

The traditional thesis

The first poll question asked whether the PhD thesis is an effective way to assess students and 63% stated that they believe it is.

Those in favour argued that it’s the most flexible format for developing writing skills, demonstrating knowledge and allowing discussions of ideas, speculation and negative results that wouldn’t make it into a published paper. Thesis writing also directly demonstrates a student’s ability to plan, carry out and write up a research project to examiners and future employers. Details of method development can be particularly useful resources for laboratories as those following in the student’s footsteps can quickly find out what worked and what didn’t. Continue reading →